Andor

Cassian Andor gets his very own show on Disney+. Read the Empire review now.

A prequel to a prequel: who’d have thought it, eh? Plus admirably, for a character originally created in service to the Skywalker saga, there’s no deferring to the broader narratives. What compromises do you have to make in a messy conflict? It looks different (compared to recent entries in the series, the production values and location filming are spectacular). In an increasingly crowded marketplace (it is one of five Star Wars small-screen offerings to debut this year), it had some convincing to do. A prequel — to a prequel?

Featuring brothels, brutal violence and a protagonist who kills in cold blood, 'Andor' is the most adult Star Wars TV series yet.

Spinning its story off a supporting character from 2016’s Rogue One (until now the grittiest entry in the canon), Andor stays a long way from the fairytale sparkle of the main movies. Spending the Disney millions on texture and depth instead of CG shininess, Gilroy gives us a grown-up sci-fi adventure that plays in the same sandbox. He sleeps off-grid in the junkyard of a working-class mining town, living a tough hobo life while looking after his mother (Fiona Shaw) by stealing machine parts with local black-market scrounger Bix (Adria Arjona). Feeling far more revolutionary for the franchise than Rogue One ever did, Andor proves that Star Wars can grow up without growing old. It’s only when a flock of muppet pig-wolves pee on a droid in the next scene that you start wondering what the catch is. [Star Wars](https://www.nme.com/tag/star-wars) to give us a proper grey area.

Diego Luna returns to the role of Cassian Andor for the latest Star Wars Disney Plus series.

[Diego Luna](https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/15002145.this-is-what-made-star-wars-actor-diego-luna-get-emotional-on-twitter/) as Cassian Andor [Disney Plus: Films and TV shows coming to platform in September and October](https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/national/uk-today/21163384.disney-plus-films-tv-shows-coming-platform-september-october/) [Disney's](https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/national/uk-today/21163384.disney-plus-films-tv-shows-coming-platform-september-october/) latest Star Wars series Andor will be dropping on [Disney Plus](https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/national/uk-today/21163384.disney-plus-films-tv-shows-coming-platform-september-october/) on Wednesday (September 21) with [Diego Luna](https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/15002145.this-is-what-made-star-wars-actor-diego-luna-get-emotional-on-twitter/) returning to play the titular character. [Disney Plus](https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/national/uk-today/21163384.disney-plus-films-tv-shows-coming-platform-september-october/) in the UK at 8am on Wednesday, September 21. Alex Ferns as Sgt. [Luna](https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/15002145.this-is-what-made-star-wars-actor-diego-luna-get-emotional-on-twitter/)) came to be heavily involved in the Rebellion against the Empire.

The new 'Star Wars' series, 'Andor' is set to premiere on Disney+ and stars Diego Luna, Adria Arjona, Genevieve O'Reilly and Fiona Shaw of 'Harry Potter' ...

[series characters as Darth Vader, Han Solo and Luke Skywalker](https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-10-greatest-star-wars-characters/) can admit that maybe it’s time to move on; after 45 years of Star Wars, Disney must leave the safety of Tatooine behind to thrive in the future. Built on the wealth of nostalgia that keeps older audience members coming back, Star Wars has long been crumbling on top of a fractured soapbox that force-feeds its audience into thinking nostalgia and the contents of the original trilogy are integral to the future of Star Wars; they aren’t. Abrams’ awful Rise of Skywalker, much has changed in the world of the sci-fi franchise, with Rogue One, Andor and co feeling like they live in an entirely different galaxy, far, far away.

Disney Plus series Andor gets a lot right, from its stellar cast led by Diego Luna to the marvellous production design, but the plot just feels redundant.

[The Mandalorian](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/the-mandalorian-season-3-release-date-disney-plus/), [The Book of Boba Fett](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/book-boba-fett-season-2-release-date/) and, most recently, [Obi-Wan Kenobi](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/obi-wan-kenobi-season-2-release-date/). [subscribe now](http://radiotimes.com/magazine-subscription?utm_term=evergreen-article) and get the next 12 issues for only £1. Of course, that should come as no surprise given Andor's position in the Star Wars timeline. In some ways, [Andor](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/star-wars-cassian-andor-series/) can be considered a throwback to those halcyon days when Disney's ownership of Lucasfilm was still fresh and treated with widespread optimism, representing a kind of story not doggedly entrenched in fan service. But while Andor creates no shortage of goodwill through its intricate production design, strong performances and dynamic characters, it ultimately feels wasted on a story that just isn't very interesting. Of course, the screen-time there was split between five other central protagonists, so writer Gilroy is now able to delve far deeper into how Andor was forged, which brings some interesting new characters into the mix. Her weighty line delivery sends chills down the spine and her enigmatic persona leaves you hungry to know more. Conversely, we witness an origin of sorts for the Rebel Alliance, which begins as a disparate scattering of dissenting voices that Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) reluctantly finds himself drawn into. There's simply no substitute for a genuine environment that directors and actors can utilise in every aspect of their work. The opening four episodes screened to critics make very few nods to familiar locales and characters, which is a bold move in a media landscape obsessed with Easter eggs, references and cameos. For starters, the once-dominant sci-fi franchise has been exiled from the big screen following a divisive film trilogy. So much has happened since the release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Starring Diego Luna in the titular role, the new Disney+ streaming prequel series is the closest the Star Wars universe has come to going rogue.

[Pure Chaos](https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/09/is-tiktok-turning-fashion-week-into-pure-chaos?itm_content=footer-recirc&itm_campaign=more-great-stories-091422)? Perhaps most crucial in achieving the show’s palpable mood was the decision to eschew a central piece of technology heavily employed by the other Star Wars shows, which are largely filmed on a soundstage surrounded by a 360 LED screen, a contraption first used for The Mandalorian. Which is a silly thing to say about a space fantasy, I realize, but Gilroy gives Andor some of the same knowing texture—somehow both sleek and grainy—that he managed with Michael Clayton. If the series maintains its assured style, Andor may be the closest Disney+ has yet come to going rogue. But Gilroy shades his portrait of power dynamics, gesturing toward some of the harm done by the rebellion, too. Gilroy and directors Toby Haynes and Susanna White give the series a tarnished palette: crisply shot grays and mossy greens and faded blues. Rogue One was about Andor and others stealing the plans to the Death Star, the terrible planet-killing space station that was first blown up in 1977. And yet, the show doesn’t feel like an equivocation. What he’s made is a nervous espionage thriller, set on a varied array of planets rather than in the corridors of Washington D.C. One might, as I did, roll their eyes at the prospect of another Star Wars series, especially given that all four of them, Andor included, are prequels to at least some of the movies. It was a moving ending for the character, surprisingly ruthless for a franchise so built on easy fan satisfaction, but of course, it was really just a beginning. Some viewers may prefer the episodic, storybook nature of The Mandalorian.

Here's what we can expect from Star Wars' latest instalments , Andor as it is set to debut on Disney+.

He also stars in the HBO miniseries, Chernobyl. It’s an era filled with danger, deception, and intrigue where Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero." Stellan Skarsgard is well known for his roles in the Pirates of the Caribbean and the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. Genevieve O’Reilly is an Irish-Australian actress and well recognised for her work in the Star Wars franchise as Mon Mothma, which she portrayed in Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One. The first three episodes of Andor will be released on September 21 and will be available to stream exclusively on It is set five years before the attack on the Empire and is a prequel series to the spinoff film

Diego Luna returns as Cassian Andor in the highly anticipated Rogue One spin-off series Andor, and here's how you can watch the new show.

The film's world-building made for a unique contribution to the Star Wars universe of the ragtag team of revolutionaries who rebelled against the Empire right down to the impactful end that leads to Star Wars: A New Hope. Overall, Star Wars Rebels is definitely worth watching for another impressive cast of characters who come together to fight against the Empire. Even Senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) made an appearance in this series given the wide period of time that the rebellion takes place. With the mutual goal of acquiring the Death Star's schematics to stop it, Cassian teams up with Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), the rescued daughter of Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen), a research scientist who was forced to complete the Death Star. The series' classic elements of course align with the integration of Luke and Leia Skywalker as children and the anticipated return of Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker. With the Star Wars universe evolving and growing larger with its interconnected stories, there are some vital films and shows that can better prepare the audience in the lead-up to watching Andor. [Andor](https://collider.com/star-wars-andor-trailer-release-date-cast-plot-everything-we-know/) will take the Star Wars audience back to another corner of the galaxy far, far away that isn't directly focused on the Skywalkers or The Mandalorian. The overarching plot is shown with Luthen being the instigator of forming a possible team of rebels after interacting with Cassian and Whitaker's Saw Gerrera. The full episode release schedule is as follows: The teaser trailer was first released on May 26, 2022, and the initial release date of August 31 was revealed. The series will then follow the usual weekly release pattern of a new episode streaming every Wednesday, at 12 AM Pacific Time. Described as a spy thriller series, Andor is set five years before the events of Rogue One where the beginnings of the Rebel Alliance were only forming.

Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) in Lucasfilm's ANDOR, exclusively on Disney+. ?? Diego Luna as Cassian Andor (Photo: Des Willie/Lucasfilm).

[ The Mandalorian](https://inews.co.uk/culture/the-mandalorian-disney-plus-uk-baby-yoda-star-wars-411535?ico=in-line_link), but without the gimmicks akin to [Baby Yoda](https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/baby-yoda-the-mandalorian-when-uk-disney-plus-march-star-wars-371487?ico=in-line_link), and it has none of the unnecessary fan service that dragged down the otherwise brilliant [Obi-Wan Kenobi](https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/obi-wan-kenobi-disney-plus-ewan-mcgregor-1654497). But if future instalments are up to the standard of Andor, who cares? By bringing us back to a time before the Rebel Alliance was even formed, Andor has the job of explaining why the Galactic Empire needed tearing down in the first place. We know how Andor comes to his end (in Rogue One, after stealing the plans to the Death Star, the Imperial ship shoots at Scarif, killing him and Felicity Jones’s Jyn), but Andor takes us back to the beginning, when he was just a little boy on his home planet, Kenari. [Felicity Jones](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/extraordinary-rogue-one-star-felicity-jones-entering-star-wars-universe-25522?ico=in-line_link), itself a prequel to the first film in the franchise, A New Hope – the new Disney+ series first introduces our hero Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) as he wanders through an intergalactic version of a red-light district, seemingly looking for his little sister. To fill in the gaps of a story we already know the end to is a tricky path to tread, but it seems Gilroy and Luna – who was reportedly very involved in developing Andor’s backstory – have worked hard to not simply act as Star Wars filler.

'Andor,' the new Disney+ 'Star Wars' series and a prequel to the film 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,' stars Diego Luna as rebel spy Cassian Andor.

[Rogue One: A Star Wars Story](https://www.vulture.com/2016/12/movie-review-rogue-one.html) (the film that introduced Cassian and of which Andor is a prequel), frames it in a variety of ways. In Luna’s accomplished hands, he’s pricklier and more nuanced than that, and Andor gives the character space to expand who he can be while peering into his past, sketching out his present, and laying down a path for how he becomes the cunning spy of Rogue One. In centering that element of the Empire and those motivated to work for and against it, Andor opens a wealth of narrative possibilities for the world imagined in Rogue One and delivers them with intentional world-building, compelling character relationships, and gorgeous cinematography that proves that Those who have seen Rogue One know how part of this story ends, and Andor doesn’t rely on us forgetting that; it acknowledges Cassian’s fate with a line so blatant that it can’t even qualify as an Easter egg. But Andor is better for that bluntness — and for the unapologetic way it rejects the nostalgic ennui that has for so long defined this franchise. Andor drags attention back to a simple but effective notion of power in all of its forms (occupation and colonialism, the illusion of democracy and the capitulation to private industry), then weaves a web of characters who inject shades of gray into these binaries. The verdant jungle planet of Kenari, flashbacks to which show Cassian’s Monos-like childhood, is oppositional to the Empire’s sterile Imperial Security Bureau headquarters, which is all gleaming glass and shades of white. Where’s the singularity when The Mandalorian betrays its own individual potential by bringing in a [CGI Luke](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-mandalorian-season-2-finale-star-wars-skywalker-saga.html)? Where’s the heft when Boba Fett’s power struggle with a criminal gang [feels so weightless](https://www.vulture.com/article/book-of-boba-fett-mandalorian-overlap.html)? [Obi-Wan Kenobi](https://www.vulture.com/tv/obi-wan-kenobi/), [The Book of Boba Fett](https://www.vulture.com/tv/the-book-of-boba-fett/)) and, like the film series that inspired them, an over-reliance on the Skywalker name ( [The Mandalorian](https://www.vulture.com/tv/the-mandalorian/)). Star Wars hasn’t felt dangerous in a long time, but when Andor focuses on that face and all that it suggests? He slips into that expression more than once in the first four episodes of Andor, and series creator and showrunner Tony Gilroy, who co-wrote

Lucasfilm/TV-14/12 episodes · Created by Tony Gilroy · Starring Diego Luna, Genevieve O'Reilly, Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller and ...

It is perhaps the platonic ideal of a Disney+ Star Wars television show, even if much of it (thus far) repeats previously dictated material. If you watch a new Star Wars show because it’s a Star Wars show, there’s much to appreciate about Andor, even as it takes four episodes to tell two episodes of storytelling. There is a skewed irony in that Andor is probably the best Disney+ Star Wars show thus far while also feeling like the least essential and least must-watch among those for whom the mere idea of new Star Wars content isn’t an automatic selling point. This is all not entirely fair to the show, which was a case of Tony Gilroy using the protective shield of an IP to craft something within his wheelhouse. This presumably positions him as a man on the run and contrasts this earlier incarnation with the guy we meet That said, those first three episodes are padded and redundant, to the point where (like the Rings of Power) one could skip straight to the second episode without missing much plot and character context.

As Star Wars looks beyond the familiar storyline of the Skywalker Saga, vast horizons promise fresh adventures, new characters and situations.

It assumes a knowledge of the broader Star Wars story, but even for canon novices, there's plenty to see here.Andor streams on Disney+ weekly from September 21st. From the Prequel familiar cityscape of Coruscant and the stark policies of the Imperial Security Bureau to the reality of toiling on the industrial world of Ferrix, the relationships are complicated and real - this is a thriller, but firmly bedded in the day to day grit of living in the galaxy. There are flashbacks showing a young Cassian, a strategy that mirrors and informs the present, and it's here we see the journey into the bold Cassian that catches the attention of the complex Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård), who journeys to Ferrix to enlist Cassian.

Star Wars fans are excited to see Diego Luna return as Cassian Andor in a new Disney Plus series, and we now know exactly when the episodes are released.

[subscribe now](http://radiotimes.com/magazine-subscription?utm_term=evergreen-article) and get the next 12 issues for only £1. [sign up to Disney Plus now for £79.90 for a year or £7.99 a month](https://disneyplus.bn5x.net/c/1236178/564546/9358?subId1=radiotimes-607408&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2Fen-gb). - Andor episode 10 - Wednesday 9th November 2022 at 8am BST - Andor episode 9 - Wednesday 2nd November 2022 at 8am BST - Andor episode 8 - Wednesday 26th October 2022 at 8am BST - Andor episode 7 - Wednesday 19th October 2022 at 8am BST - Andor episode 6 - Wednesday 12th October 2022 at 8am BST - Andor episode 5 - Wednesday 5th October 2022 at 8am BST - Andor episode 4 - Wednesday 28th September 2022 at 8am BST - Andor episode 3 - Wednesday 21st September 2022 at 8am BST - Andor episode 2 - Wednesday 21st September 2022 at 8am BST - Andor episode 1 - Wednesday 21st September 2022 at 8am BST

It takes a while to build up steam, but Andor eventually gives an insight into the everyday reality of life in the Star Wars galaxy, writes Stephen Kelly.

However, it is the fourth episode where Andor starts to live up to the promise made by its arresting trailers and marketing (it is presumably why Disney gave critics four episodes instead of the first three). Similarly, it is a tricky task to judge a 12-part series like Andor based on a quartet of uneven episodes. It is, by far, the best Star Wars has looked on TV, albeit with the caveat that it is still no match for the lavishness of a Star Wars movie. It is here that we get to the meat of Andor: political intrigue, spycraft and daring Rebel missions. It is a series that starts well, meanders into tedium, gradually improves, and then finishes with an episode that suggests an immense amount of promise. It is perhaps a creative choice, an attempt to give the world a sense of richness and lived-in authenticity, but it mostly ends up making its first couple of episodes feel narratively confused and alienating. Along the way we're introduced to various companions and acquaintances, including his unremarkable scrap dealer friend Bix (Adria Arjona), who is trying to arrange a deal with a buyer, and his mentor Maarva, played by the indomitable Fiona Shaw. It's an intriguing idea, although based on the four episodes made available to critics, Andor is a curiously uneven work: meandering and ponderous in its plotting, striking in its production design and on-location shooting, and ultimately as underwhelming as it is promising. Whereas Obi-Wan Kenobi was plagued by a look that felt too lifeless and limited for the cinematic story it was trying to tell, the practical sets of Andor (if reports are to be believed, the set of Ferrix was essentially a fully functioning town) ground the story in the dirt and grime of the galaxy. It is an opening that announces Andor as something a bit grittier, a bit grimmer and more mature than other Star Wars TV projects. [Rogue One](https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20161213-film-review-rogue-one-is-star-wars-for-good-and-bad), a prequel itself, opens with a sequence that is dark and stylish. Creator Tony Gilroy – best known for his work in adapting the Bourne Trilogy, and for overseeing vital, film-saving reshoots on Rogue One – has said that he wanted Andor to be about "real people", rather than Skywalker royalty.

How to watch and stream Star Wars Andor full episodes on Disney+, plus trailer, cast, release date and episode information.

[six months of Disney+ free](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=127X991730&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.o2.co.uk%2Fextras%2Fdisney-plus&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.digitalspy.com%2Ftv%2Fustv%2Fa41227002%2Fwatch-andor-star-wars-disney-plus%2F) for upgrading and new customers. Andor is available on Disney+ and has 12 episodes in total, with the first three becoming available on Wednesday, September 21. [Ahsoka](https://www.digitalspy.com/ahsoka/), [Skeleton Crew](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a40119483/jude-law-star-wars-skeleton-crew/), [The Acolyte](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a41101630/star-wars-acolyte-jodie-turner-smith/), [Lando](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a34959715/lando-release-date-disney-plus/) and [The Mandalorian](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a34939443/the-mandalorian-season-3-release-date-disney-plus/) season 3, which is set for release in February 2023. [Stellan Skarsgård](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a38375214/avengers-stellan-skarsgard-defends-superhero-movies/) as Luthen Rael, [Adria Arjona](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a36220670/morbius-adria-arjona-father-of-the-bride-remake/) as Bix Caleen, [Denise Gough](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a40687872/watch-under-the-banner-of-heaven-andrew-garfield-series-disney-plus/) as Dendra Merro, [Fiona Shaw](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a39296734/killing-eve-season-4-filming-accident-fiona-shaw/) as Maarva, and [Forest Whitaker](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a34300732/forest-whitaker-godfather-of-harlem-uk-air-date/) reprises his role as Saw Gerrera who was also in Rogue One and the animated series Rebels. [Andor's Diego Luna promises "familiar faces" in Disney+ Star Wars spinoff show](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a37766236/star-wars-andor-diego-luna-characters-spinoff/) [Diego Luna](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a40643458/star-wars-andor-diego-luna-explains-return/) reprises the title role of Cassian Andor, who we first saw in Rogue One, [Genevieve O'Reilly](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a41072463/star-wars-andor-develops-mon-mothma/) also returns to the franchise as Mon Mothma, who also appeared in Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One. [Disney+](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=127X991730&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2Fen-gb%2Fwelcome%2F&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.digitalspy.com%2Ftv%2Fustv%2Fa41227002%2Fwatch-andor-star-wars-disney-plus%2F) with new episodes releasing weekly. [The Mandalorian](https://www.digitalspy.com/mandalorian/), [The Book of Boba Fett](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a39010776/book-of-boba-fett-season-2-release-date-disney-plus/) and [Obi-Wan Kenobi](https://www.digitalspy.com/obi-wan-kenobi/), Andor focuses on Cassian Andor, a thief who becomes a rebel spy and sets off on a path of becoming a revolutionary and rebel hero. [Andor](https://www.digitalspy.com/andor/) is the latest live-action TV series in the [Star Wars](https://www.digitalspy.com/star-wars/) galaxy, and it's available now exclusively on Disney+. [Disney+](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=127X991730&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2Fen-gb%2Fwelcome%2F&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.digitalspy.com%2Ftv%2Fustv%2Fa41227002%2Fwatch-andor-star-wars-disney-plus%2F) subscriber you can sign up to the streaming service for £7.99 a month, or £79.90 for a full year, which works out at getting 12 months for the price of 10. Set five years before the events of the 2016 Star Wars film Rogue One, Andor will show how the Rebel Alliance was formed and how people and planets became involved in the fight against the Galactic Empire.

Also starring in the show are Adria Arjona, Stellan Skarsgard, Kyle Soller and Denise Gough. Genevieve O'Reilly also returns as Mon Mothma. “It's a show about ...

Contact your hosting provider letting them know your web server is not responding. As a result, the web page is not displaying. The web server is not returning a connection.

The first scene of Andor presents something of a mission statement: Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), the titular soon-to-be freedom fighter, enters a brothel on ...

A lot of the first two episodes is Cassian going from person to person and having his character traits explained to him (and us) without ever really giving us a taste of the roguish mischief beneath his quiet stoicism. I’ll be curious to see if they fill that in and if there was anything big I missed once the episodes officially drop. We’re definitely in a Scottish quadrant of the galaxy, here, with Karn’s second-in-command and Timm, that dumbass, both sporting Celtic brogues. What I’m saying is, I breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Stellan. Interspersed with the adventures of Grownup Cassian, we also get some brief flashbacks to his early childhood on Kaneri. Disney+ was wise to release the first three instalments of Andor all together, because it takes its time to introduce and complete a couple of mini-arcs that make, eventually, for a very good cliffhanger—but also quite the slog getting there. Luna is indispensable as the lead, but the character so far still remains undefined and not in a “rough around the edges” kind of way. And for all its significant, predictable flaws, there’s still plenty of time for it to stamp its mark on the franchise. There’s definitely tension between Cassian and his adoptive mother in the present timeline, but, sister search aside, Cassian doesn’t wield his wound from being taken from Kenari at Maarva, who knows she failed that little boy all those years ago, no matter how unintentional. First is the corporate security’s pursuit of Cassian, led by Bad Cop Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), who peppers in enough camp and silliness amidst his malice to make for a great mid-tier villain. Mark the day, people: We got a cold-blooded murder in Star Wars and, far more astoundingly, a single shot from a blaster that hit its target. [Andor](https://www.avclub.com/tv/reviews/andor-2022) presents something of a mission statement: Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), the titular soon-to-be freedom fighter, enters a brothel on Morlana One, a rainy planet overseen by a corporate security force, and is immediately harassed by Cockney-speaking cops.

Andor, which has been released on Disney+, stars Diego Luna in the lead role, alongside Star Wars legend Genevieve O'Reilly, Hollywood actor Stellan ...

It was a genuine gift of a role." Soller said: "Our characters weren't really relying on green screen... I think it can keep expanding because we have many stories to tell." "We are here to tell you this story that you can watch from beginning to end. "And I shouldn't have to be a big thing, but it is a big thing, there's not many throughout the Star Wars universe, so I feel really privileged to be doing that." "We can be big and adventure, we can have very big scope of science-fiction that you expect from Star Wars with action and battles - but then go very intimate and spend quite a long time in the house of a character finding out how he experiences everyday life, and then go into a very dark tone and be very political and spy-ish and go back to the action."

It's all laser guns and hoverbikes in this gritty, kinetic spy thriller which gives us the backstory to one of Rogue One's heroes.

Such theorising can’t sustain a Star Wars show on its own, which is why it’s such a relief when Andor whips out the laser guns and hoverbikes in episode three. But the underling is Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), who sees the case as his chance to ascend to the rank he believes he deserves. Andor’s earthy wisdom extends to more general observations, too, such as the explicit identification of rampant commercialism as a key component of the malign force that is about to reach tipping point. [Obi-Wan Kenobi](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/series/obi-wan-kenobi--episode-by-episode), has been replaced with something gnarlier. As Andor begins, it’s five years earlier and Cassian – still played by Luna – is merely a thief who likes to liberate Galactic Empire spaceship parts. When word of mouth spreads about a new streaming show, viewers tend to tell each other not how many episodes are in the season, but how many you have to watch before the thing gets good.

Andor is a Star Wars prequel to the prequel Rogue One, but it certainly helps, since the show (like The Mandalorian) takes a look at the Empire and Rebels ...

Some of the Jedi and Inquisitor activity during this period is covered in [Rebels](https://www.polygon.com/2019/11/13/20959862/star-wars-watch-order-disney-plus-movies-shows-chronological-skywalker-saga), the TV miniseries [Obi-Wan Kenobi](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23180150/obi-wan-kenobi-review), the video game Jedi: Fallen Order, the novel Ahsoka by E.K. [Star Wars](https://www.polygon.com/2019/11/13/20959862/star-wars-watch-order-disney-plus-movies-shows-chronological-skywalker-saga) as kids’ stuff, because, frankly, so much of it is. Andor offers an opportunity to dig deeper into the nuance of the Star Wars dystopia, arguably its most intriguing and relevant facet, and flesh it out for a mass audience. While Ahsoka, Rebels’ Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger, and Fallen Order’s Cal Kestis and Cere Junda all eventually come out of hiding to fight the Empire (to say nothing of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker), the Jedi who made the earliest and most violent contribution to the nascent Rebellion is Ferren Barr, who within a year of the Empire’s birth secretly orchestrates a war between the Imperial Navy and the planet Mon Cala. Though they’re not seen much in the films, Mon Mothma and Organa are the key architects of the Rebellion, connecting isolated pockets of resistance into one formidable whole. [the first season](https://www.polygon.com/star-wars/22418649/star-wars-the-bad-batch-review) of the animated series [The Bad Batch](https://www.polygon.com/star-wars/23146713/star-wars-bad-batch-season-2-trailer-release-disney-plus-streaming-celebration). In a subplot deleted from Revenge of the Sith, Senators Padmé Amidala, Mon Mothma, and Bail Organa establish the Delegation of 2,000, a political caucus that challenges Palpatine to relinquish his wartime powers once the Separatists are defeated. Andor kicks off at 5 BBY, tracking the formation of the Alliance to Restore the Republic (better known as the Rebel Alliance) though bits and pieces of this story have been depicted across other media over the years. [Andor](https://www.polygon.com/23311750/andor-star-wars-diego-luna-interview-preview), the new live-action limited series that premiered on Disney Plus on Wednesday, is pitched as a gritty adult spy drama, the rare mass-marketed entry into the canon to frame Star Wars as the story of a political revolution on a galactic scale. [Clone Wars animated series](https://www.polygon.com/star-wars/2020/3/14/21179020/star-wars-clone-wars-rex-episodes-trooper-stories-expanded-universe), Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine spends years orchestrating the conflict that would destabilize the Republic and enable him to seize power. The Imperial Navy demolishes the cloning facility and uses the remaining clone troopers to train a new generation of soldiers recruited the old-fashioned way: by exploiting poverty and fostering jingoism and xenophobic paranoia. The degradation of the Republic into the Empire takes place over the nearly four-year span of the war, and its roots go much deeper than that.